The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-22
SOhE FAMILY HISTORIES
THAT FXEMPLIPY THE QUEER
Make Up OF NEW YORK.
A Mother Who Was Divorced That
Her Daughter Might Marry
Her Husband.
lcosaEsroxpEscE or rHI ArpK.L.I

NEW YORK, May 20.-Jay Gould
gave me mighty curious notion of
the boundaries of a fashionable
woman. He sat in his private box
at the Metropolitan Opera House,
with his son George and his pretty
daughter-in- law beside him. There
it was brilliantly illuminated scene
on the stage, and, in a trifing mis-
management Of the lights, calcium
was turned from the rear on thin
cloth that was painted to represent
marble. Not only was the non
solidity of the masonry disclosed, but
the shadow of more substantial act
ress was thrown in sharp silhouette
on the transparent fabric. "Ha, ba,
softly laughed the millionaire.
70, papa Could" said Mrs.
George, who was an actress before
her marriage, you know, you are
cruel to laugh at mishaps."
Il wasn't laughing at that exactly.
but at what it reminded me OF, :"
said Gould, as reported within ten
minutes to me by his partner and
friend Conner. II was thinking, as
| saw the shape of that woman out
lined so sharply, of how a mans
early employment fixes his impress
sions for life. Now, | was a civil
engineer. 1t was for several years
my hard work to trudge around the
country making measureRe for
county maps. In that way the
boundaries of towns became i'm
pressed on my mind, aud to this
day the mention of any of those
towns or counties brings before my
mental vision the shape of it as |
traced it out so laboriously. From
that experience | got into the habit
of taking in the outlines Of every
thing | look at instinctively.
Every object is mapped out like a
flash TO me. Now the ladies are con-
stantly changing their boundaries to
suit new fashions. That distinct
shadow of the actress was map of a
German gretchen. She doesn't alrer
much. But fashionable women shift
their bounds as often as country in
Central Europe. The peninsula of
your head, which your isthmus of a
neck connects with your body, is
small when bonnets decrease and en-
large immensely with faring hats.
Your skirts are now distended by
bustles at one point, whereas they
used to be expanded at another by
hoops. And so it goes. The map
of stylish woman would have to be
newly surveyed every year to be kept
correct.
| wonder if little absolutely cor
rect history of the three boxes at the
opera, as filled at the last night OF
Pati, would be interesting I'll try
it. To begin: In No. was large
woman with dissatisfied lines on her
rather handsome countenance. With
her was an old man and woman-pa
and ma. In the rear was a nervous,
middle aged blonde man, and this is
their absolutely true story: The
woman in white married a criminal
years ago-a very successful criminal,
who had pot of money. They were
having good time Of it when the
law laid its strong arm on
Mr.. Husband and gave him
long term in the State
prison. The man put all his funds
into the handsome wife's hands, with
direction that she lay out every dol
lar, if necessary, to secure his re-
lease. During the first month of his
incarceration she met the nervous
blonde who sat in the background
the other night at the opera. He was
the poorest and weakest member of
large family of Massachusetts
gamblers. Several brothers had at
tanned competency and notoriety in
their business, but this one had
always relied on his proves with
the softer sex for his living. Meet
ing the grass widow of the burglar
he speedily saw his chance, and
improved it. She concluded that
the safety which a prison grants was
superior to the dangers of liberty for
poor Mr.. Husband. The property
was all her own legally. She made
the Massachusetts gentleman COM
Portable, and he has been easy in his
mind ever since. The criminal still
languishes in prison, but with next
fall comes re ease, and.it ever man
bad cause to make things warm for
mortal woman it seems to me this
one has. We shall see.
In the next box was a restless
woman in a magnificent evening tot
let, who got up and sat down perhaps
fifty times during the evening. 1t is
about eighteen years since she first
struck New York. She was clothed
on the occasion of our first meeting
in red flannel dress trimmed with
white Canton flannel, on which we're
little ink marks to represent ermine.
On her head she wore a yellow jute
wig,such as the female impersonators
of negro minstrelsy were addicted to
at that period. She was a funny,
frisky, i'll attired girl, who essayed
to be an actress. After an unremu-
perative season she passed away, and
New York knew her no more, till
one recent day she reappeared.
She had struck it rich. She
came back to wear French
toilettes, to dwell in her own brown
stone house, and to do the heavy swell
in magnificent apparel at the opera
house in private boxes. In the next
box this auspicions night was a tall,
gray haired man and little black bit
OF a woman. An inconspicuous pair
and yet such a complicated character
of experience has been theirs that l
do not know but out of all the people
under fire, they are the most remark
able. The man fell in love years
ago with the wife of his friend,
aud his friends wife pre-
ferred him to her husband. She
was pretty little brunette, with
several children. Out of this state
of affairs came divorce and a di-
vision OF the children. A girl and
one boy we're given to the mother.
She planted this girl in a boarding
school and shortly after the divorce
she married the friend of her hus-
band and began to raise family No.
2. She had got as far as two little